This week, you may have noticed heightened activity occurring in the vicinity of the North Bend Way Bridge as you enter downtown North Bend. Pier 6 and Pier 8 of the bridge are undergoing scour protection mitigation work.
Surrounding the base of weight-bearing piers for the North Bend Way Bridge are timber cofferdams, which hold larger rock material in place that protect the integrity of the base of each pier. Over many years, the timber cofferdams surrounding Pier 6 and Pier 8 have degraded, and natural scouring from river currents removed some of the material. During weather events and stronger river flow, increased scouring will continue to degrade the piers, which, if not maintained, could eventually cause the bridge pier to sink which would cause damage to the bridge structure above.
The Bridge Scour Project will remove the timber cofferdam, replace it with a longer-lasting geotextile construction material and rock to provide erosion and scour protection of the piers. The North Bend City Council allocated Streets Capital Project funds in the 2023 budget to support this high priority Capital Improvement Project.
The City expects no traffic disruption to occur as a result.
Sascon, LLC is managing the Bridge Scour Project. This week, workers have constructed a temporary aqua dam apron around Pier 6. The aqua dam will fully wrap around the pier, keeping water away from the construction area while workers complete scour remediation. Pumps are also present to dewater the work area and the contractor is following all permit conditions for removal of fish within the work area.
The project is expected to be complete by the end of September. When finished, workers will carefully remove the aqua dam, returning river flow to its original state, and will also remove temporary access roads to the piers along with restoration and planting of all disturbed areas.
Read the resolution accepting bids and awarding the construction contract for the project by viewing Resolution 2076, located in the Archive Center of the www.northbendwa.gov.